Article of manufacture



we. uulvlr'uol l was,

material, such as bananF igns. corn stalks. rice hu baaasse or co on or to (121000 s a 5.

Patented Feb. 1 1926. I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC NAYLOB, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Isaac NArLon. a subject of the King of England, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Articles of Manufacture, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new article of manufacture. a substitute for wood. obtained from a method of treating waste fibrous material.

The article consists of a solidified impervious fire resisting body of unusual strength, density and hardness formed from a mass of treated comminuted contracted waste fibrous material possessing inherent binding and solidifying characteristics, and the article is particularly designed for employment in the manufacturing of kegs, barrels, drums, receptacles. crates. boxes, laths, flooring, roofing, shingles, wall boards, or for any other purposes for which it is found applicable.

The term fibrous waste is to include banana stalks, .rn talks, ice hulls, bagasse, cotton and tobacco sta as, waste paper and any other character of waste fibrous materials.

An article of manufacture. a substitute for wood, in accordance with this invention, is produced by the treating of fibrous waste substantially in accordance with the following method.

A body or quantity of the fibrous waste 1s rst F'igd complem'e'r which it is subjecte o a ggigdin action for the purpose of reducing 1e material into small particles. After the material has been reduced into small particles, it is siged under the action of fluid pressure, an ie mesh of the sifting element can be of any suitable size, according to the texture, weight and strength of the finished product desired. The density, strength and texture depend upon the smallness or largeness of the sifted particles. Therefore, the size of the mesh of the sifting element or screen is to be governed with respect to the texture, weight and strength of the product desired.

Certain wz iste fibrous materials have with in them a p1th or a short fiber, and during the process of grinding the pith or short Application filed October 23, 1923. Serial No. 670,343.

fiber, becomes very minute, and in connection with the larger fibers broken down during the grinding action, to a small mesh size, acts as a filler so that the ultimate product is strong and unusually dense. The waste fibrous material which contains the pith or short fiber, is of the stall; family. however, any of thewastefibrous materials containing long or short fiber, or long fiber alone, can be reduced by the grinding action to a powder state.

Afterthe waste fiber has been reduced to the fineness for the purpose desired. it is supplied to a large rat or tank tre l a soluti 'n th water ant lalf ate of soda of 40 B.. w l]': by the scluiioji wnL be of 1.500 86., in strength. This solution is run into tie drv ground rt fibrous material in suflicim to n-ing 1e materia into a state of liquidation sufficient to mix with ease. In order that the ground waste fibrous material be thoroughly saturated, that is impregnated through and through, several rats or tanks 3 can be employed, and the material run from one rat to the other and subjected to the solution during a state of agitation for a period of two or three hours, and after the agitating operation the saturated material 5 is allowed to stand for a period of two or three hours,

After the "saturated or impregnated material has stood for a period of two or three hours, it is subjected to dry steam for the purpose of evaporating 1e wa er off until the liquid remaining is reduced to a density of about 40 B., and after which it is agitated or stirred until the mass becomes of thick muddy consistency.

The thick muddy mats is then run into suitable mixing machines of that type emplcyed in mixing dough for bread or crackers. After being supplied to the mixer, there is added to the mass one-third by weight of silicate of soda at a strength of 40 B. Thmoperated at a moderately high speed for a period of fifteen or twenty minutes, or for such time until the material assume", a dough-like consistency. At this point the speed of the mixer is reduced and the mixer is operated at low speed until the batch or mass has assumed a homogeneous state of a characteristic that, it will not break or crack when pressing or squeezing a handful of the mass.

When the mass has been brought to a numb? homogeneous state possessing the characteristics referred to, it is ready to pass through forming machines to produce an article of any desired shape or form and after being 5 submitted to the forming machines the material is discharged from such-machine in a plastic condition, not elastic, but possessing a characteristic-that it can be pulled or rolled to a. degree without cracking. break- Q ing or sticking. The formed article in plastic condition, whether such article is a keg, drum. barrel, wall boards, flooring, roofing, shingles or crates, is then sub ected to live hot air impregnated with carbonic acid gas bjTs'sdng the article at 1e (BS-llE'C ra e 0 speed through a suitable enclosure to which is supplied the hot lire air impregnated with carbonic acid gas. The carbonic acid gas with the hot air acts upon the material to release the silicate acid and other gaseous or yaporous matters, and in connection with the hot live air causes the contraction of the article, or rather the solidification thereof and thereby increases its density. If the article after it has passed through the enclosure space provided with the hot live air impregnated with carbonic acid gas, has not become thoroughly dried, it is then dried in any suitable manner, as stored in sheds for such purpose.

The time of subjecting the material to the live hot air combined with the carbonic acid gas, depends upon the thickness of the body of the article. by way of example, an article having its body of a thickness of onefourth inch would be subjected to the hot air and gas for a period of from twenty to thirty minutes. If the body of the article is thicker than that as stated. the period of subjecting the article to the hot air and gas would be greater. Further. the period to which thea'lticle is subjected to the hot air andgas also depends upon the density of the article when it first enters the enclosed space containing hot air and gas. because if the fiber is of a flour-like consistency the form of the article would be of greater density than if the article were of short comminuted particles.

After the formed article has been thoroughly dried, it is passed through a bath consisting of got silicate of soda of 40 B., with the a 1 ion 0 2o 0 we er. and it is conducted through the bati y he means of rollers. This bath provides the article with an impervious coating.

hen the article is removed from the bath it is then thoroughly dried and then subjected to a bath consist-ing 0 76 water and 1% bicarbonate of soda for the purpose 00 of thorougi y setting 1e impervious coating. Then subjecting the article to the bath, or water and bicarbonate of soda it is carried through the bath through means of rollers. and the passage of the article through both of the baths is carried out very rapidly.

The resultant product from the foregoing method consists of an impervious solidified fire resisting body of unusual strength and 7 hardness. free from all brittleness and obtained without. the employment of external pressure to increase the density or to solidify the same, as the article or material inherently increases the density of solidification thereof by the contraction of the fibrous material during the removal of the silicate acid or gaseous or vaporous matter.

Although the preferred embodiment of a method of treating waste fibrous material to produce a new article of manufacture. a substitute for wood. in accordance with this invention, is as referred to, yet it is to be understood that changes and modifications of the steps of the method can be resorted to which will produce an impervious solidified fire retisting body formed from a homogeneous mass of comminuted waste fiber in the form of a dough-like body possessing non-cracking and non-breaking characteristics.

lVhat'I claim is As a new article of manufacture a hard. rigid, solid, fire-resisting, impervious, homogeneous, silicated wood substitute consisting of an inherently contracted aid inherently solidified non-cracking dough-like mass of comminuted and silicated waste vegetable fibrous material.

In testimony whereof,I atfix my signature hereto.

ISAAC NAYLOR. 

